Life as we Know it
by Sazzypants
Summary: "I'm not sure how it came to be, honestly.  One day we were happily goofing off - like most couples do - the next… she came.  Everything was confusing after that." Russia/America human names used, maybe other pairing, yaoi, rating may change probably


**Tis my first Russia/America fic! If you don't like the pairing, don't read. If I get any hate from anyone, you will noooot hear the end of it. It's a deep rooted american feeling (and probably Russian too since our countries pretty much populate the whole fandom for these two. :I) and you will never hear the end of it. So respect my love for these two.**

**Written from Alfred's point of view.**

**Other pairings: France/England(Britain), Spain/Romana, Germany/Italy. That's only if they actually come into the story. I dunno. I'm winging it here. XD**

**France/England for sure. XD**

**Characters:**

**America- Alfred**

**Russia- Ivan**

**Canada- Matthew**

**France- Francis**

**England- Arthur**

**Spain- Antonio**

**Romano- Lovino**

**Italy- Feliciano**

**Germany- Ludwig**

**Prussia- Gilbert**

**Just for people who don't know the countries human names. You probably all do. XD**

**Also, I'm American. The temps in here are measured in Fahrenheit, just so people don't get confused. ^^; (0 F and 0 C are a big difference, after all. lD")**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

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><p>I'm not sure how it came to be, honestly. One day we were happily goofing off - like most couples do - the next… <em>she<em> came. Everything was confusing after that. We panicked and there was nothing but chaos, but with one look at him I could tell he was just as scared as I was. How could we have been responsible for something like that…? But I should probably start at the beginning, tell you how we got together.

Winter came early that year. Snow covered the once crowded streets of New York City and people stayed inside more. However, that wasn't the case for me. I love being out in the cold - when it was above zero degrees, that is - and I love how silent it is. Snow fell from the sky slowly, like a little dance and I felt a few fall on my cheeks. It didn't matter; it was a beautiful sight, especially as I walked through central park.

What I found odd was that I was not the only one there. A few yards ahead of me, a man stood, looking around then back down at what I assumed was a map. A tourist, I thought to myself. But it was an odd time of year for tourism, unless it was to spend the holiday with loved ones. When I had thought about it, Thanksgiving was less than a week away by that point.

As I got closer, I got a good look at him. He was tall with broad shoulders and I could see through his dark trench coat that he was also muscular. He had incredibly light blond hair - so light that it looked almost white and was nearly as blinding as the snow on the ground - that hung in his face. His face… what drew me into him most was his eyes. They were violet but still with a mixture of blue. At the time they were laced with discomfort and slight apprehension, but even then they were soft and beautiful. His face was rounded, but his nose.. It was big. Bigger than most American's had, but I found it… sexy; exotic, almost. What I found cute was that that big, strong, handsome man wore a pink scarf tightly wound around his neck yet it still hung long down his back. Pink. An odd color for a man, but who was I to talk? Besides, it suited him.

"Excuse me," I said as I walked up to him, "You look lost. Need some help?"

He looked up with a start and stared at me with those oddly colored eyes. They held suspicion, which was normal for anyone in New York, but they softened after a moment. He smiled warmly and replied, "Yes, I would greatly appreciate it. I was taking a walk in the snow and it seems I've lost track of my hotel."

His voice held a thick, Russian accent, but it was easy to understand (and sexy, but it's not like that's not obvious _anyways_). I smiled back and he told me what hotel he was staying at.

"Oh, I know that place. It's real close, I could walk you there if you'd like? It's cheaper than taking a cab anyways."

"Da, I would appreciate it, thank you, um…" he hesitated and implied that it was time for an introduction.

"My name's Alfred. Alfred Jones." I held out my hand which he shook with a smile.

"Ivan Braginski. It is a pleasure to meet you, Alfred."

We started walking and made small talk. The topics where simple things like, where was he from, why was he there, and what he did for a living. Ivan was from Moscow and moved to American 3 years ago. However, he was new to the New York Area. At the time I was a journalist for the New York Times, and Ivan happened to be an aspiring novelist. He was in the process of moving there as a local company signed off on one of his books.

After a while we just continued walking around the park instead of returning to the hotel. Ivan was interesting, and he was full of amazing stories about what he had experienced in America and also in Russia. Mostly, I just liked hearing him talk. The English was choppy at times, yet it came out sounding smooth as silk. And his smile… it was innocent, childish, and so very cute. The man was a walking contradiction and I didn't know if I should laugh or swoon over it.

"So, what's your book about?" I asked after a while. The sudden topic change took the man off guard for a moment, but I was known for doing that anyways.

"W-well," he stumbled over the first word. He was either nervous or embarrassed by the idea of talking about it. "It's… a drama…. About a young orphaned boy living with his sisters. Their life is nice and happy for a while, but it's all taken away. The two sisters are attacked by a man that broke into the house. The oldest falls into a comma because of the injuries she received and the younger… well, she had to go to a mental hospital afterwards. It's about the boys journey to fend for himself without the aid of his family."

I ran my tongue over the side of my cheek as I took it all in. It sounded sad, but like an awesome adventure at the same time! Apparently though, my expression looked like the opposite of what I thought.

"I-it is not a story for everyone. But, I also cannot explain it very well…"

"Hm? No no no! It sounds really good! I want to read it when it comes out, okay? What's it called?" I wasn't lying either, I really did want to read it.

Ivan shifted a bit uncomfortably and I thought it was adorable that he was embraced over his work. "If I could get you number, I'll let you know when I decide on the title and release date."

"Sure!" I smiled brightly and he seemed to relax when I wrote my number on a scrap piece of paper I had stuffed in my pocket for God knows why.

"Thank you," he paused and stopped walking. "Alfred, may in ask you something?"

I stopped also and turned to face him. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I was wondering… if you're interested… if you would like to join me for dinner sometime."

The suggestion was not something I had expected so suddenly. Obviously, I liked guys and I was definitely interested in him, but so suddenly? "As long as you're paying!"

He laughed and I grinned. Ivan and I had seemed to click in such a short time, it was amazing! Sure, in past relationships there was a certain chemistry and we got along fine, but… I had never felt a connection to someone as much as I did with Ivan. He was, in a nutshell, special. I have always thought that about him, even during a fight I still knew that he was special and we would get through our disagreements. I'm a sap, what can I say?

We would have been able to talk all day if the cold hadn't gotten to be too much. It was at that time that I actually showed him back to the hotel. It was quiet until they could see the hotel down the road.

"Thank you for the assistance, though it was on false terms," he said finally.

That really confused me. "What do you mean?"

He smiled at me, both sheepish and apologetic and replied, "I knew how to get back from the start. But… when you approached me, I made up a story so you would talk to me. Sorry if that is… creepy?"

At first, I wasn't really sure how to respond. I had never had anyone go out of their way to talk to me when I wasn't in a bar or club. But what I did know that I wasn't creeped out. In fact, it was encouraging to know that he felt the same way.

"Not at all," I replied with a grin.

He chuckled again and pulled a business card out from his wallet and handed it to me. It had all the information I would need to contact him. "I look forward to hearing from you, Alfred. Let me know when you would like to have dinner with me."

"Will do!" I gave him a salute and he walked off smiling.

I really didn't know what to do with myself. I stood there, grinning like a fool, and I kicked a few chucks of snow off the shoveled sidewalk. There was really no other way to describe it, but I felt like a giddy teenager that got asked out by some mysterious bad boy she'd been eyeing across the room all day. Yeah, I was one of those. But I didn't care! Well… until people walked past and started looking at me funny. Then I cared a little, or at least enough to head back home.

And then it began. I called my boss and nearly begged for a day off. Arthur wasn't happy, but I've know him forever. I mean, our mom's changed our dippers together, so why couldn't he give me a day of two off? After enough begging he caved.

"Alfred, this all seems a bit ridiculous for some guy you met in the park. Are you sure this is a good idea?" I could hear the worry in his voice, but I knew he was overreacting.

"Yeah, man, it's totally fine! This guy's awesome, so don't worry okay?" I ensured.

He didn't sound too convinced, but he finally agreed to give me those days off. After thanking him, my first thought was to call Ivan… but it had only been maybe two hours since I left him at the hotel. It's weird to call that early, isn't it? Well, I did. I called him.

"Da, this is Ivan," he answered my unfamiliar number.

The sound of his voice made my heart flip out and my throat close up. I was so nervous suddenly that I stumbled over my reply, "Yeah, h-hey Ivan. It's uh.. It's Alfred. From the park."

There wasn't even a pause to try and remember me. "Da, I remember you Alfred," he replied happily. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, um," I mumbled. Had he forgotten already? "My boss gave me two days off and you told me to call, so…"

Ivan chuckled into the phone. "Do not worry, Alfred, I didn't forget about dinner. So, when do you have free?"

I told him the days and there was a slight pause. I could hear him flipping through the pages of something then the loud scribble of pen on paper.

"Where would you like to eat?" he asked finally.

"How about you surprise me? My usual eating joint isn't really good for dates," I replied with a chuckle.

"And what's that?"

"McDonald's."

There was another pause.

"You are right. I think I'll choose a suitable restaurant."

It was my turn to laugh because it really was a bad place for a date. Not that it wouldn't keep me from dragging him there in the future, just not for the first time. We talked for a while longer and only a call from his boss ended our conversation. I still couldn't believe my luck at finding someone like him.

But if I remember one thing the most, it was the agonizing wait until the day of our date. I paced my house, tried to entertain myself in any way, but it was all useless; my mind just kept drifting back to Ivan and that face of his, and his accent….

It wasn't much better when I went to work the next day. We had a meeting where Arthur assigned our next projects and I was too far gone in my thoughts to even hear what my topic was. The bastard wouldn't even tell me again when I asked him, all he said was, "If you can't keep your head out of the clouds for five minutes, then why should I help you? Have the story in my office by Sunday, git!"

Great boss. With a groan I made my way back to my desk and sat down. I tried my hardest to work on my assignment - that Francis was kind enough to tell me - but, once again, Ivan plagued my mind. It was Monday and the date was Thursday. I wasn't going to get anything done… and I didn't.

Tuesday and Wednesday were no different. I spent them distracted and excited, and it was _killing_ me. Finally, though, Thursday came around and things began to look up for me.

I met up with him dressed nicely like he told me to. It was dark, cold, and had already began snowing again. The flurry of snowflakes distracted me as they shown brightly in the lights of the city; it was beautiful. But then I looked at my watch. He was later than I thought he would be.

Suddenly, a small boquet of flowers appeared in front of my face. I was shocked and just stood there staring like a dork at them; sunflowers, little, tiny, sunflowers. They were really cute, actually.

"Sorry if you were waiting long. I stopped to get these last minute," Ivan said with a soft smile.

"I, um," I blinked and accept the flowers, "it's fine, but you didn't have to do this you know."

"Do you not like them?" He tilted his head to the side in a childish manor and I couldn't help but smile.

"No, no I do," I assured him. "Thank you."

"It is my pleasure." He took my hand and we began to walk through the cold night together.

We talked about a lot of things and the topics came easily. It made me realize just how much we really did have in common. Though, our movie tastes were different, and by that, I mean he's not effected in the same way by horror movies as I am… It was refreshing to talk to someone like him. He was talented, smart, handsome, and he just knew exactly what he was doing with his life. Which was more I could have said for myself. I still wasn't sure if journalism was for me.

"You do not sound like you're from here, Alfred," he pointed out after we fell into a comfortable silence.

I laughed. "You got me there! I grew up in Kansas, then we were in Texas for two or three years, but I spent the majority of my life in Wisconsin with my mom."

"What about your father?"

"Oh, he lives up in Toronto. My brother stayed with my dad after the divorce. That's when I moved to Wisconsin with my mom."

He paused for a moment. "I am sorry to hear that your parents are divorced. That's is always rough on a child."

I shrugged because I didn't really care. "Well, I don't want my parents to be together. And Mattie lives here now, so that's all I need."

"You don't see your father then?" he asked.

"Naw, he's a dick. That's why my brother came back as soon as he was eighteen."

Ivan looked at me and said softly, "I'm sorry if I'm prying too much."

I smiled back up and him and gave his hand a light squeeze. "Hey, don't worry about it. How else will we get to know each other?"

Luckily, he relaxed and smiled warmly again. "You are right. Is there anything you would like to know about me?"

I thought for a moment then asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, an older and younger sister who live back in Russia," he replied.

"What about your parents?"

I regretted asking as I watched the smile fall from his face. His violet eyes became distant as he looked on into nothing. Old memories, perhaps? I just want to slap my face and take it back; I've never been good with words.

"I-I'm sorry! You don't have to answer that, okay?" I rushed out.

Ivan said nothing and continued to look on, only for another moment. Then he turned his gaze to me and softened slightly. "It's alright, Alfred. I just do not like thinking of them."

I nodded quickly in understanding and we fell into silence, but that time, it was very awkward. Not even an hour into the date and I managed to screw things up… I felt terrible about it, but I kept quiet in fear that I would only make things worse. We continued to walk in silence for a long time after that when Ivan reached out and took my hand, pulling me to a stop.

"Alfred, do not worry so much. It is natural to be curious about people, and you couldn't have know what my reaction would be. So, smile again, that looked so much nicer on you." His warm smile return and I couldn't help but return it.

Ivan… even then he was great at cheering me up.

We finally made it to the restaurant right when the cold was getting to us. It was a nice, classy place and I felt a little embarrassed to be there with him. It was more than what I could afford and I lived in a crummy apartment. Obviously, fine dinning and formal wear were not my thing. The world of the rich and wealthy was not something I was accustomed to, but Ivan looked like he belonged. I felt a little insecure, but when he smiled at me from across the table, the feeling drifted away. He had shown genuine interest in me and that was enough to calm my nerves.

We talked easily again over dinner and a few glasses of wine. The food was good and so was the service even though the waiter seemed a bit uncomfortable to serve two men. Not that Ivan and I were making it particularly easy on the poor guy, what with our heavy flirting and all. To this day, I still blame the wine!

Ivan paid for dinner and skillfully hid the check from me no matter how hard I tried to see the cost. It was annoying, but I couldn't help but admit that it was kind of cute how Ivan would innocently hide it under the table as it he weren't a grown adult.

As we walked back, we held hands with our shoulders pressed together. If anyone saw us, they would have thought we were a real couple, but, no; we were just drunk and very comfortable with each other.

"I enjoyed myself very much tonight, Alfred. I hope you would like to do this again," Ivan grinned and his voice didn't show a sign of how much wine they had really drank.

"Yes'sum! That would be totally awesome!" I gushed. I, on the other hand, was clearly drunk. "When would you like to? I have off tomorrow!"

Ivan's grin widened and he nodded. "Yes, we will do something tomorrow. I'll come pick you up around noon here, okay?"

I looked up and saw that he had walked me all the way back to my apartment building. "You don't have to do that, I can meet you somewhere again," I insisted, not wanting to bother him too much.

He silenced my protests by placing one, pale finger against my lips. "I want it to be surprise tomorrow, so I will pick you up. Da?"

I laughed softly but nodded and Ivan's hand cupped my cheek instead. Slowly, he drew my head up into a soft kiss. His lips were soft and warm with a certain spark of electricy behind it. It was hard to pull away from such an amazing feeling that ate me up inside, made my inside churn and my blood boil. I craved more, but I restrained myself. A one night stand was not what either of us wanted, and that much was clear. So, we would wait a little longer before progressing any further.

He closed his eyes and rested our foreheads together for a moment longer. I looked at him when he pulled away, into those shockingly violet eyes that still confuse me, and I smiled by how honestly happy he looked. Our beginning was sweet, that's for sure. Times would get tough but… I like to remember what it was like when we first met, when times get hard.

We said good night and I waited until a cab pulled over for him. With one last kiss Ivan left and went back up my apartment, excited for whatever Ivan had planned for the next day.

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><p><strong>And that's chapter one! I wonder who this mysterious person is~ Tee Hee! 3<strong>

**Sorry if it's too sweet/sappy for you, I'm writing this while listening to the Clannad OST, sooo… if you know what that show is/what the music sounds like, you'll understand. LD"**

**Please leave a review to make my write more, faster! 3**


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